Method of manufacturing cigarettes



D. W. MOLINS Aug. 1, 1933.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CIGARETTES 2 Sheets-Shem;

Filed July 13, 1931 //Y VIII?! Aug. 1, 1933. 0. w. MOLINS METHOD OFMANUFACTURING CIGARETTES 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed July 13 Patented Aug.1, 1933 UNITED STATES METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CIGARETTES Desmond WalterMolins, Bexley, England Application July 13, 1931, Serial No. 550,521,and in Great Britain April 28, 1931 14 Claims. (Cl. 13143) Thisinvention relates to an improved method of manufacturing cigarettes oncigarette making machines of the continuous rod type, and has.

for its object to provide means whereby the density of tobacco in thecontinuous rod produced by the machines may be varied from point topoint in the length of the rod for the purpose hereinafter described.

As is well known, such machines manufacture a continuous rod of tobaccosurrounded by paper which is subsequently cut into individualcigarettes, and in order to obtain a smooth and well finished end to thecigarette it is essential that the density of tobacco in the portion ofthe rod which is to be out should be sufflcient to enable the knife tocut cleanly.

By this method a lightly filled and inexpensive cigarette may be given asuperior appearance by the clean-cut well-filled ends and good qualitycigarettes are correspondingly improved. Atthe same time the cigarettestill draws freely, whereas, a cigarette which is dense throughout isdiflicult to smoke, in addition to which it is expensive to make.

The invention comprises a method of manufacturing cigarettes oncontinuous rod cigarette machines consisting in varying the density ofthe tobacco in the continuous rod produced by the machine from point topoint, and subsequently cutting the rod at the points of maximum densityto produce cigarettes having relatively dense ends.

The invention will be more particularly de- Referring to Fig. 1, thecigarette rod 1 is filled with tobacco in such a manner that in theneighbourhood of thepoints 2-2 at which the rod is cut to producecigarettes, the density of tobacco is higher than at the point 3 at themiddle of the cigarette.

This variation in density may be effected in various ways. For instance,the density may slowly increase from the middle to the ends, or thecigarette may be practically uniform scribed with reference to theaccompanying,

throughout the major portion of its length with the density increasingcomparatively suddenly at the ends. I

The cigarettes may be manufactured by a machine constructed as shown inFigs. 2-5 which represents an efficient apparatus for carrying out theidea, but it will be appreciated that many mechanisms may be devised forcarrying the invention into effect.

Referring to Figs. 2-5, a tobacco feeding ap- 5 paratus 4 continuouslydelivers a shower of tobacco to a trough 5 located beneath the deliveryopening of the tobacco feed.

' The bed 6 of the cigarette machine'carries a paper reel '7 from whicha continuous web 8 of cigarette paper is led through a printer 9. Thepaper then passes through the trough 5 in which it assumes a U form andis' uniformly filled with tobacco by the shower from the tobacco feed. I

As the loaded web passes from the trough 5 it engages with acontinuously moving tape 10 and is carried by the same through foldingmechanism 11 and gumming mechanism 12 and the formed and gummed rod isthen dried by a heater l3.

The finished rod then passes to a cutting mechanism 1 4 which severs itinto cigarettes which are delivered by tape 15 to a delivery belt (notshown) from which they are removed by the 35 attendant.

Before the loaded web passes into the folding mechanism 11, the tobaccois compressed by a rotating compression wheel 16. This operation iseffected whilst the loaded web is passing through a U shaped channel 25,Fig. 5, which forms a continuation of the trough 5, and during theoperation the web is controlled by guides 26 which keep the edges of theweb level.

As previously mentioned, the web is uniformly loaded by the tobaccofeeding mechanism and the variation in density is effected by drivingthe compression wheel by'avariable gear so that the velocity of the rimof the wheel changes from'a high value to a low value-and so on. Theeffect of these changes in the velocity is to cause the compression ofthe tobacco to vary from point to point and by mechanically coupling thecompression wheel to the cutting apparatus, it is possible to ensurethat the points of maximum density in the rod will be those points atwhichethe rod is subsequently cut.

The compression wheel is driven through a train of -gears 17 by avariable speed device consistingof a slotted disc 18 driven by a pin 19,

fixed to a uniformly rotating disc 20. The centres of the two discs areout of line and the velocity of the rim of the compression wheel thusvaries with the change in radius of the pin 19 in the slot of the disc18.

In order that the points of maximum density in the rod shall coincidewith the points at which the rod is cut into cigarettes, the compressionwheel drive is coupled as shown in Fig. 1 by gears 21 and 22 to gears 23and 24 which drive the cutting apparatus 14 so that the parts cannot getout of time.

The variation in density in the rod may of course be produced by othermeans than that described, for example, mechanical raking devices may beemployed to vary the distribution of the filler or shrouding devices maybe employed in the filling trough to change the distribution of thetobacco shower itself.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A method of manufacturing cigarettes on continuous rod cigarettemachines consisting in varying the density of the tobacco in thecontinuous rod produced by the machine, from point to point, andsubsequently cutting the rod at the points of maximum density to producecigarettes having relatively dense ends.

2. In a cigarette machine, the combination with means for loading apaper web with tobacco filler, of means for varying the density of thetobacco filler from point to point, rod forming mechanism and cuttingmechanism arranged to sever the rod at the points of maximum density toproduce cigarettes having relatively dense ends.

3. A method of manufacturing cigarettes which consists in feeding a webof cigarette paper, delivering tobacco substantially uniformly to theweb thus fed, redistributing the tobacco on the web to provide alternateportions of greater and less quantity, forming the web and tobacco intoa rod, and severing the rod adjacent the portions of greater quantity toproduce cigarettes having relatively dense ends.

7 relatively dense ends.

5. A method of manufacturing cigarettes which consists in feeding a webof cigarette paper, delivering tobacco substantially uniformly to theweb thus fed, and thereafter displacing portions of the tobacco atintervals along the web to provide a varying density. I

6. In the art of manufacturing cigarettes, the method of distributingtobacco on a moving web comprising feeding tobacco in substantiallyuniform quantity to the web, and thereafter displacing portions' of thetobacco on the web to provide non-uniform distribution thereof.

7. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with means fordelivering tobacco to a moving web, of means for thereafter displacingportions of the tobacco to vary the quantity present at different pointsalong the web.

8. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with means for feedinga web of cigarette paper, means for delivering tobacco in substantialuniformity to the web thus fed, and means for thereafter effectingredistribution of the tobacco on the web to provide varying quantitiesof tobacco at spaced points along the web.

9. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with means for feedinga web of cigarette paper, means for delivering tobacco in substantialuniformity to the web thus fed, means for thereafter effectingredistribution of the tobacco on the web to provide varying quantitiesof tobacco at spaced points along the web, means for forming a rod fromthe tobacco filled paper, and means for severing the rod into lengths atpoints at which greater quantities of tobacco are located:

10. In a cigarette making machine, the combination with means forfeeding a web of cigarette paper, means for delivering tobacco insubstantial uniformity to the web, thus fed, mechanism for varying thedensity of the tobacco at spaced points along the web, means for formingthe web and tobacco into a rod, and means for severing the rod atpoints' of greater density to form cigarettes having relatively denselypacked ends.

11. In a cigarette making machine, the combinationwith means for feedinga web of cigarette paper, means for delivering tobacco in substantialuniformity to the web thus fed, mechanism for varying the density of thetobacco at spaced points along the web, means for forming the web andtobacco into a rod, means for severing the rod at points of greaterdensity to form cigarettes having relatively densely packed ends, and adriving connection between said last named means and said mechanism foreffecting synmeans for forming the web and tobacco into a rod, andcutting mechanism driven in timed relation with said compression wheelfor severing said rod at the portions of greater density;

13. In a cigarette making machine, the com-Y bination with means forfeeding a web .of cigarette paper, means for delivering tobacco insubstantial uniformity to the web thus fed, and means for thereaftereffecting redistribution of the tobacco on the web to provide varying'quantities of tobacco at spaced points along the web, I

said last named means comprising arotatable means for thereaftereffecting redistribution of v the tobacco on the web to providevarying'quantities of tobacco at spaced points along'the web,--

said last named means comprising arotatable compression wheel positionedforengagement with the tobacco, and means for rotating' said wheel at avarying speed.

DESMOND WALTER MOLINS.

compression wheel positioned for engagement r

